Michael Berglin: Pseudo brides or loving wives? RESPONSE

I thank you for your letter, however, I have to take issue with what you wrote. You're painting a picture of something that simply is not true. I am aware of Sen. Cantwells agendas. Cantwell is portraying the industry as human trafficing, which is not the case at all. You also have to understand that there are a number of high powered feminists who are the battle cry to end the practice of men finding an overseas bride - their agenda is suspect.

If you had noticed in my article, I talk about the efforts of several groups that are trying to clean up the industry and have created a set of standards to weed out scammers, etc., and not everyone wants to agree with that. So, a list of reputable agencies is being built to counter the bad press which seems to permeate the American news. The American newspapers don't tell you that 3 out of 5 American marriages end up in divorce - so, marrying a Russian girl, one has a significantly better chance of the marriage working out.

As for actual scamming, American men and women do that too. It is not just a Russian issue, it happens, there are scammers within American society also. America has its own fair share of 'gold diggers' and we can't fault one side of the ocean and not the other. Look at an American singles ad and yoy will find the words "financially secure" which does trasnlate to You Had Better Be Wealthy.

The sex tours issue you bring up - this is not something that happens with reputable agencies. There was a series of 'sex tours' offered out on the net a few years ago which was an FBI initiative to nail child predators.

While I can appreciate your concern, you are echoing only what you have been told to believe. I am the author of the article, I am an American, and I am married to a Russian lady. As the author of the article, I chose the title - whether or not you like the word detente is a matter of personal opinion.

I also have noticed, having publications in the US also, Americans tend to pick a small concept, or a single word, and use this to discredit an entire essay or article. We in America think this is scholarly, but really it is nit-picking for the sole purpose of trashing something we do not want to accept as another person's opinion or experince or expertise.

Not that long ago, American soldiers would train their skills to counter insurgent and partisan military organizations. These days, they are trained to show resistance to the regular army of a potential adversary